Aeroplane



1,665,769 N. BUlE AEROPLANE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 inven tor,

flttorne Filed March 26. 1927 April 10, 1923,

April 10, 1928. 6 1,665,769

N. BUIE AEROPLANE Filed March 2 1927 ZSheets-Sheet 2 r a v 34 45 201-5. 7 3 I/AJQ ,34 1 25 12111622 tor,

Patented Apr. 10, 1928.

UNITED STATES NORMAN BUIE, 0F STAYNER, ONTARIO, CANADA.

AEROPLANE.

Application filed March 26, 1927. Serial No. 178,707.

The invention relates to improvements in aeroplanes as described in the present specification and shown in the accompanying drawings which form part of the same.

The invention appertains more particularly to auxiliary wings for monoplanes, although it could nevertheless be applied to multiplanes if so desired.

The invention has for its object to provide a pair of auxiliary wings located beneath the main plane of a flying machine in order to enable it to take off at slow speed, the wings being so arranged that when the machine is in the air they may be folded beneath the main plane in order to convert it into a high speed sustaining surface. Likewise, upon landing, these wings are lowered for the same purpose as in taking off.

It will be seen that these wings perform the dual objects, that of providing additional sustaining surfaces to facilitate tak ing off and landingand also converting the main plane from a slow speed to ahigh speed sustaining surface.

A distinctive advantage of this construc tion is that the wings add rigidity and strength to the main plane of the flying machine, which is a feature of considerable importance.

Theinvention consists mainly of a pair of auxiliary wings hinged at their outer ends to the main plane of a flying machine and provided with mechanical means whereby the pilot may raise and lower the inner ends to and from such main plane.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a monoplane showing the invention a plied thereto. In this view the wings are shown in position as used for taking off and landing, one side of the machine being shown broken away.

Figure 2 is a cross sectional View of the main plane and an auxiliary wing depicting the manner in which they lie against one another.

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view of a crank arrangement for raising and lowering the inner ends of the auxiliary wings.

Figure 4 is a further sectional view detailing a device for locking the wingswhen raised or lowered.

Figure 5 is a detail of a guide bar.

Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the figures throughout the drawings.

Referring more particularly to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings; the reference numeral 10 designates generally the body of the monoplane which may be of conventional construction or otherwise. 11. designates thev main plane carried by the body. The underside 12 of this main plane is substantially curved in order to give it a camber suitable for low speed (see Figure 2),.

13 is a pair of auxiliary wings which have their upper sides curved to follow the profile of the underside of the main plane 11 and have their undersides of a lesser curve suitable for forming a high speed sustaining surface as at 14.

It will be seen that by this construction when the auxiliary wings are lowered they provide an additional. sustaining surface for the airplane, but upon being raised against the underside of the main plane, as depicted in Figure 2, they convert the plane into a high-speed sustaining surface.

The auxiliary Wings are hinged at their outer ends to the underside of the main plane 11 as at 15 and adjacent to their hinged ends they are cut away as at 16 in order to clear the ailerons.

It is intended that the inner 'endsof the auxiliary wings shall have some mechanical means whereby they may be raised and lowered at the will of the pilot and inFigures 3 to 5 inclusive a crank arrangement is shown whereby the pilot may manually con trol these Wings. This arrangement is given by way of example but not of limitation as it is apparent to those skilled in the art that this object may be achieved invarious ways, both manual and power, and it is not intend-j ed to in any way restrict the invention in this respect.

This crank arrangement comprises guides 17, four in number, there being two on each side of the body 10. These guides extend substantially vertically and are bent in the arc of a circle, the radius of which is slightly greater than the length of a wing and is taken at the axis of rotation of the wing. These guides may take the form of tubular bars as shown in the drawings which are split lengthwise from end to end in order that each may receive a follower 18 rigidly carried by the wings 13. At the upper and lower end of each guide is a sheave 19 which receives a cable 20. The cable of each guide is fastened to its follower and extends over the upper and lower sheave and passes from there to a drum 21, the upper end 22 and the lower end 23 of this cable being wound about the drum in contrary directions and fastened thereto. This drum has a 01 51111524 positioned within easy reach of the pilot.

It will be seen that by this construction, upon turning the crank 24 in an anti-clockwise direction it will wind the ends 22 of the cables 20 about the drum 21 and slacken off the lower ends 23 of the cables, thereby raising the Wings 13 to and against the underside of the main plane 11. Converse- 1y, upon rotating the crank -24 in the opposite direction, the wings will be lowered.

It will be evident that some means would necessarily have to beprovided to lock the wings when raised or lowered, and for this purpose it is proposed to employ say small apertures 25 at each end of the guides 17 and to arrange the plunger 26 within each follower 18 so as to extend transversely of the guides. These plungers are spring-urged as at 27 so that when they register with the apertures in the guides they will be in locking engagement with their respective apertures.

To release the plungers, the cables 20 are connected thereto as at '28 and passed over small sheaves 29 so that Whenever thecrank 24 is turned the pull upon thecables 20 will first withdraw the plunger from its locking engagement with its aperture prior to moving the wings. It will be seen that this construction supplies a very eiiicient means for facilitating the taking off and landing of an aeroplane and also serves to convert the main plane from a slow speed into a high speed sustaining surface.

Having now described the preferred form of the embodiment of the invention capable of carrying the same into practical operation; it being understood that changes in shzip'e, proportion and general assemblage of the parts may be resorted to without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention, and the right is accordingly reserved of making such changes and moditications as may fairly come within the spirit of the invention and the claims hereinafter following.

What I claim is 1. In an aeroplane, a pair of auxiliary wings l'iingedly connected at their outer ends to the underside of the main plane, arcuate guides fastened to the body, followers carried by the inner ends of the wings and disposed in said guides, sheaves positioned at the upper and lower ends of the guides, a drum, a crank therefor, and cables connected to the followers and passed over the sheaves to the said drum.

2. In. an aeroplane, the combination with a swinging wing, of a locking device comprising an arcuate guiding member apertured at its upper and lower ends, a springurged plunger carried by the free end of the wing for registering with the apertures of the guide, and a cable connected to the plunger.

Signed at Stayner, Ontario, Canada, the twenty-first day of March, 1927.

' NORMAN Bum. 

